


A Different Path

by litfangirl689



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass Sokka (Avatar), Badass Zuko (Avatar), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, M/M, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Protective Iroh (Avatar), REALLY slow, Zuko (Avatar) Angst, Zuko (Avatar) whump, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, general fong sucks, i hate him, im sorry, like one original character, slowburn zukka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27231211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/litfangirl689/pseuds/litfangirl689
Summary: After the Siege on the North Pole, Zuko is captured by the waterbenders. He's lost his only chance to capture the avatar, he's in enemy hands, and he has no idea where Uncle is.He really was lucky to be born, wasn't he?
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 71
Kudos: 525





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I got this idea from another fanfic on Fanfiction.net called Second Nature, but it's been abandoned for years and idk if they're planning to finish lol. I hope you all like it!

Zuko glared at the ground of his new cell, cursing himself for even being captured in the north pole in the first place. He could’ve prevented it, he should’ve fought back! But he’d been frozen, staring at the place where Zhao had been dragged into the water by the ocean spirit. He’d been unable to move, wondering why Zhao hadn’t taken his hand. Why he even cared so much. 

The rest after that had been a blur. He remembered being captured by a few waterbenders, then taken to their chief, seeing the Avatar and the water peasants, who immediately identified him as Prince of the Fire Nation.

He’d been thrown into an icy cold cell, handcuffed and chained so he couldn’t firebend. They’d gagged him after the revelation that he had the breath of fire. Other than that, he had to admit that he’d been treated relatively well for a prisoner. He was fed, and they made sure he didn’t freeze either. He was just grateful that this wasn’t the Earth Kingdom. He had heard horror stories about firebenders getting their hands crushed, and he remembered how it had almost happened to his uncle. 

Zuko growled in frustration. He didn’t even know where Uncle was right now. He’d last seen him at the koi fish pond, working(?) with the Avatar and his friends. Had he been captured too? 

\--Iroh

In fact, he had not, though Zuko had no way of knowing that. Iroh stood by the shore, clutching a bag in his hands. 

“Please, give me your word that you will help him,” he said, looking anxiously at the other man in front of him, dressed in water tribe furs.

Pakku nodded firmly. “I give you my word. I will do my best to help Prince Zuko.”

Iroh inclined his head. “Thank you,” he said, trying to show his gratitude in those two words. “Please, when you have the chance, tell him I have not abandoned him.” The guilt of leaving his 16 year old nephew to fend for himself in enemy hands was overwhelming, but he knew that it was for the best. Zuko was strong, and brave. He would survive this. They would meet again. 

“Tell him, once he has escaped, to meet me at Omashu,” Iroh said. The plan was that he would leave on a raft and make it to the Earth Kingdom, and from there make his way to Omashu. Pakku would help Zuko escape at night, when no one was around, and tell him where to meet Iroh. 

Pakku inclined his head. 

Iroh smiled sadly at his old friend. “You have my gratitude,” he said, before making his way onto the raft that would carry him to the Earth Kingdom. His heart clenched at the thought of leaving his nephew behind, but he knew that it was the only way.

\--Zuko 

Zuko jolted awake at the sound of his cell door opening, and glared at the two guards. 

“Get up,” One of them said, but Zuko just glared. 

The other one rolled his eyes. “You have no where else to go, Your Highness.” He said the last two words like they had a bad taste in his mouth. 

The guard grabbed Zuko’s arms, and Zuko pulled away. “Let me go!” he yelled, his words muffled by the gag. He struggled to get away. 

The guard let him go, and in one quick move, punched him in the stomach. Zuko doubled over in pain and groaned. His body still ached from the explosion that had destroyed his ship, and this had only made it worse. The guard pulled him to his feet and yanked him towards the door. 

“We weren’t supposed to hurt him!” the other guard said anxiously. “The Avatar said not to!” 

Zuko frowned. The Avatar? Why would he ask the guards not to hurt Zuko? They were enemies. If anything, he should want them to hurt Zuko more. 

“He wasn’t cooperating. Put this on him.” They tied a blindfold around his eyes and dragged him. Panic crept into him as they yanked him around another corner.

“Watch your step. Stairs,” the guard said, and they continued on, going downstairs. 

He heard another door clang open, and he was shoved inside. His breath hitched in fear when he felt them grab his arms and chain them behind him, before finally taking off his blindfold. 

Zuko blinked and looked around, scanning his surroundings. He was in another cell, as he’d expected. But this one was smaller, and the walls weren’t made of ice. It was made completely of metal. 

The guards left with a slam of the door, and Zuko glared at the door. How was he supposed to formulate an escape plan if he didn’t even know where he was?

He’d just have to wait for an opportunity. He’d never been the most patient person, but when it came to his survival, he would be. He had to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the people who left kudos and a comment! I'm kinda nervous posting this lol, cause idk if people will like it. Comments are always appreciated!

\--Sokka 

After Yue’s death, all he felt was numbness. He couldn’t bring himself to feel anything more than that. Even though he knew that Katara and Aang were trying their best to make him feel better, he didn’t really want to talk to them. He just wanted to be alone. 

And then the angry jerk had shown up, captured by the chief’s men. Usually, Sokka would’ve been able to conjure up a few insults, maybe a sarcastic comment, but he said nothing except confirm the prince’s identity to the Water Tribe. 

“What are they going to do with him?” Aang asked the next day at lunch. They were planning to leave the next day, to the Earth Kingdom to find Aang an earthbending teacher. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Katara said, taking a sip of her water. “As long as we know that he’s out of the way and won’t bother us anymore.”

Aang still looked doubtful. “Are they going to keep him here forever? He’s a firebender, being in the cold for that long won’t be good for him.”

“Who cares?” Sokka mumbled, absently twisting his fork in his plate. “He can rot here, for all I care.” 

He noticed Aang and Katara exchange a worried glance, but he ignored them. All three of them were silent for a few moments, before Aang brightened up. 

“How about we take him to the Earth Kingdom?” he said. “It’ll be safer for him there, and we can leave him in a prison.”

Katara frowned, considering it. “I don’t know, Aang. Is it safe for us to bring him along?”

“He’s a firebender, Aang!” Sokka pointed out. “The ships are made of wood. Mix wood and fire and bam, ship is gone.”

Aang deflated a little. “What if we built a special kind of cell? A metal one? We could ask Chief Arnook!” 

Sokka thought about it. It actually wasn’t a bad idea overall, but did he really want Prince Ponytail on a ship with them? And after that, they were planning on flying on Appa. He shuddered at that thought. 

Katara took one look at Aang’s pleading face and softened. “Come on, Sokka,” she said. “It’s actually a good idea! And we’ll leave Zuko in the prison of the first place we land,” she added, looking at Sokka’s reluctant expression. 

Faced with the pleading expressions of both the avatar and his little sister, Sokka had to give in.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “We’ll ask the chief. But,” he warned, wagging his finger in front of Aang’s relieved face. “If he does anything stupid, I will personally toss him overboard.”

Katara shrugged. “Fine by me. Should we ask Chief Arnook?” 

A few hours later, they’d talked to the chief and convinced him that the Earth Kingdom was a safer place to keep the fire prince, both for him and for the Water Tribe. After all, even if he was in a cell, he was still a firebender. Fire and ice were not the best combination either. 

They had to delay their departure for a couple of days to get the metal cell built, but that was fine with Sokka. He’d wanted some more time to relax anyways. 

“One of us needs to tell him what’s going on,” Aang said, when they were finally on the ship, ready to go. “He’s probably scared.”

Sokka snorted. He couldn’t imagine Zuko being anything but angry at all times. “Nah, I think he’ll be fine.” 

“Yeah,” Katara agreed. “We’re already doing him a favor by taking him out of the North Pole. We don’t need to tell him anything.”

“Fine. I’ll go then.” Aang only took one step before he was grabbed by both Katara and Sokka. 

“No!” they both shouted. 

“It shouldn’t be you!” Katara yelled. “You’re the one he’s after. What if he does something to you?” 

“Yeah,” Sokka added. “It should be me or Katara.” 

He and Katara exchanged glances. 

“Not it,” Katara said quickly, and Sokka groaned.

“Why is it always me,” he muttered, making his way over to the staircase that led to the dungeons. 

He hesitated outside the door of the cell. He didn’t hear anything that sounded threatening, but this was Zuko. Sokka knew what he was capable of. 

He sighed before slowly opening the door. “Hello? Angry jerk? You there?”

Zuko jerked up from where he’d been lying down and glared at Sokka. He was chained and gagged, and for the first time, Sokka realized just how young he was. He looked to be around the same age as Sokka himself, maybe a year older. He shook that thought away, not liking how uncomfortable it made him. It didn’t matter how old he was. He was a firebender, the prince of firebenders. 

“Don’t try to jerkbend at me,” Sokka threatened. “I’ll toss you overboard.”

Zuko yelled something that was muffled by the gag, and Sokka smirked. “What was that? Oh right, you can’t talk. Too bad.” 

Zuko lowered his gaze and scowled, and Sokka sighed. “The only reason I’m even here is because Aang has a kind soul, even towards annoying jerkbender princes with ponytails. We’re going to the Earth Kingdom. We’re going to drop you off at one of the prisons there.”

Zuko’s eyes widened, the right one at least. The left one was permanently squinted shut by that angry scar on his face. 

He said something again, this time quieter. Sokka frowned. “I don’t know if you’ve realized, but you have a gag on. I can’t understand you.”

Zuko rolled his eyes and lifted one hand as high as he could with the handcuffs on, motioning to the gag. Sokka stared at him. 

“Are you crazy? You think I’m going to take that off so you can start breathing fire at me? No thanks, I’m outta here.” 

Zuko yelled something else, but Sokka ignored him. He’d had enough of annoying princes for one day. 

\--Zuko 

Panic flooded through Zuko the moment he heard the water tribe boy say that they were going to the Earth Kingdom. Of course they were. Zuko’s luck had always been horrible.  
Lucky to be born, he thought bitterly. 

The stupid gag prevented him from saying anything, and the idiot water tribe boy had refused to take it out. And now he’d be taken to a prison in the Earth Kingdom, where they’d crush his hands and put him in a dungeon so deep underground he’d never see the sun again. He shuddered at the thought. Even those few days in the cell at the Water Tribe had been terrible. He didn’t want to imagine how it would be if he was away from the sun for longer. 

And he still didn’t know where Uncle was. What if Uncle was hurt? What if he was... no. Zuko forced his thoughts away from that, because Uncle was still alive. He had to be. 

He didn’t know how long he sat in that cell, the floor rocking below him in a way that was familiar, comforting. After spending three years on a ship, a part of him was glad to be back on one. 

But the dread was also building up, because he knew where this ship was going. And there was no way for him to escape. 

He’d have to figure something out after he got off the ship. Then he could find Uncle, and figure out some way to start his search for the avatar again. Then he would go home. 

He ignored the familiar ache in his chest, the homesickness and the craving to see the Fire Nation again. The only thing standing in his way was a child. A child who was on this very ship, so close, but impossible to reach.

The door opened again, and Zuko groaned. He really didn’t want to deal with the avatar or any of his friends again. 

He glared at the newcomer, and narrowed his eyes when he saw that it wasn’t anyone familiar. It was an old man, maybe his uncle’s age, wearing water tribe clothing. 

“Prince Zuko, isn’t it.” The man said it like a statement, not a question. Zuko scowled at him and said nothing. Not like he could anyways with the gag in his mouth. 

The man sighed. “My name is Pakku. I am an old friend of your uncle’s.” Zuko’s eyes widened. This man knew his uncle? But how? 

Pakku stepped forward and pulled the gag out of Zuko’s mouth, finally allowing him to speak. 

“How do you know Uncle?” Zuko demanded. 

Pakku gave him a contemplating look, as if trying to decide how much to tell him. “We are old friends. Your uncle is safe, Prince Zuko, so do not worry.” Zuko couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief, even if an uncomfortable feeling arose in him. Uncle wouldn’t have left him here, he knew that. 

“But where is he?” he asked. 

“I helped him get to safety in the Earth Kingdom by providing him with a raft. He should be on his way there now.” 

Zuko ducked his head down, trying to ignore the feeling of hurt in his chest. Apparently Uncle had left him. But that didn’t matter, he told himself firmly. At least he knew that Uncle was safe. 

“The plan was that I would help you escape; however, I was not aware that you would be moved to the Earth Kingdom” Pakku said, frowning. 

Zuko felt frustration build up in him. “So that’s it? You came here to tell me that I’m doomed? That there’s no way for me to escape?” Pakku gave him an annoyed look. 

“I’m here to give you the messages your uncle left with me, and to tell you that the plan has changed. He told me to tell you that he had not abandoned you, and to meet him at Omashu.”

Uncle hadn’t abandoned him. Zuko should’ve known by now that Uncle would never do that, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Instead of releasing you here, you will travel with the avatar to Omashu, where another one of mine and your uncle’s friends will help you from there, and reunite you with him.” 

Relief flooded through Zuko, and he closed his eyes. Everything will be ok, he told himself firmly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for the people who left kudos and comments. I hope you're all enjoying this story so far!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Implied rape, skip if that upsets you

\--Sokka

Everything was decidedly not ok. Now that they were at the point where they’d separate from the Northern Tribe ship and make their way to the Earth Kingdom, Prince Jerkface had to be taken with them on Appa. The chief and Pakku made sure to give them all the necessary arrangements to make sure that Zuko wouldn’t be able to escape, though Pakku was acting strange, stranger than usual. 

But Sokka quickly forgot about that when Pakku gave Aang and Katara cool presents and completely skipped over him. The nerve!

“Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There, you will be safe to begin your earthbending training with King Bumi,” Pakku said, and looked over at the prince, who was already tied up and handcuffed on Appa, glaring at everyone. “Do not leave the prince with General Fong. Leave him in Omashu, where King Bumi will deal with him.”

Aang nodded eagerly. “Ok,” he said. “Come on, let’s go!” 

The three of them hopped onto Appa and waved at Pakku and the others on the ship. “Say hi to gran-gran from me!” Katara yelled, and they were off. 

Zuko was surprisingly quiet throughout the trip, not even trying to talk through the gag in his mouth. He seemed calmer than he was last night, which worried Sokka. What if he was planning something? 

“So we’re traveling with ponytail here until Omashu?” Sokka asked, motioning over to the prince. Zuko just glared at him. 

“Yeah,” Katara said, giving Zuko a warning look. “He won’t be able to do anything to us, though.” 

“Yup!” Aang said, and to Sokka’s horror, gave Zuko a wide smile. “Are you comfortable, Zuko?” 

“Aang!” Sokka complained. “Don’t talk to enemy firebender princes!”

Zuko looked surprised for only a moment before he scowled and jiggled his handcuffs in response. “Oh yeah, probably not. Well, it’s ok. At least you won’t freeze in the North Pole anymore.” 

Zuko just rolled his eyes and said nothing. 

The rest of the trip to General Fong’s base wasn’t too bad, mostly because they pretended that Zuko wasn’t there. 

“There it is!” Sokka yelled after about an hour of flying, pointing down at what could only be an Earth Kingdom base. 

They landed in the base, where there were a few soldiers and a man who could only be General Fong. 

“Welcome, Avatar Aang! I am General Fong, and welcome, to all of you great heroes! Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara,” General Fong said, smiling brightly at them. Sokka immediately decided that he liked this guy. Brave Sokka was a great name! 

Katara seemed to agree. “Mighty Katara? I like that!” 

And then fireworks went off, set off by the earthbending soldiers. Sokka nodded, pleased. “Not bad,” he said.

He heard Zuko snort from where he was sitting atop Appa, and he turned to glare at him. He’d almost forgotten about the prince. 

“What are we going to with Prince Jerkface up there?” Sokka asked, pointing up at Zuko. General Fong’s gaze travelled up, and his smile faltered. “Ah, yes. We had gotten word that you have a...special prisoner with you.”

“Yeah,” Aang said. “We’re taking him with us to Omashu. He’ll be put in a prison there.” 

The general frowned, and looking back, Sokka realized that they should’ve known what was coming. “We will keep him in one of our cells until you are ready to depart. Take him,” he said, motioning to a couple of guards, who grabbed Zuko and dragged him away. Sokka watched as the prince struggled and yelled some muffled words, and felt a bit of satisfaction. 

The general turned to them with a smile. “Come with me, heroes! We can talk some more inside.”

When General Fong asked Aang to just go into the avatar state and defeat the firelord now, Sokka had to admit that it wasn’t a bad idea. He remembered what Aang had done at the North Pole. If he could do that, why couldn’t he defeat the firelord now?

But Katara wasn’t having it. “If you two meatheads want to destroy everything we’ve worked for, fine, go ahead and glow it up then!” She stormed out, leaving Sokka and Aang alone. 

Sokka sighed. “She’ll get over it, Aang. But if you think this is the right way, then do it.” 

The next couple of days were filled with failed attempts of getting Aang into the avatar state, and Sokka was quickly growing impatient. Apparently, so was General Fong, and that was when everything went downhill. 

“Katara! No!” Sokka cried out when Katara was pulled underground. He tried to get to her, but his ostrich horse tripped, throwing him off and into one of the earth coins. He could only watch with horror as Katara disappeared. 

“No!” he yelled, but his shouts were covered up by the roaring wind as Aang’s tattoos and eyes started to glow. 

“It worked!” Fong yelled triumphantly, only to have his smile disappear when Aang started towards him. 

“Your friend is safe!” Fong yelled, and with a wave of his hand, Katara was brought back up.

“Katara!” Sokka yelled in relief when he saw her. She was fine. But Aang wasn’t. The entire compound was brought to rubble as he stayed in the avatar state, until, finally, he collapsed to the ground, back to his normal self. 

They left as soon as possible. It was only a few hours later, while they were flying on Appa, when Aang suddenly sat upright and said “Zuko!”, that they realized they’d left him behind. 

\--Zuko

He was thrown into another cell, his third over the past week. He wanted to scream in frustration, to bang on the cell walls even though he knew no one would answer. The avatar would take him to Omashu, where he would be met by another one of his uncle’s friends(how many friends did he have?) and find his uncle. He just had to remain patient. 

He’d been in this new cell for at least a couple of days, judging by the amount of food he’d been given. He sat cross legged in his cell and attempted to meditate. If he couldn’t actually firebend, that was the next best option. Plus, it would keep him from going insane from boredom. 

He meditated until he heard a loud noise from outside. His eyes shot open and he tensed, getting to his feet. The ground rumbled beneath him, and he stumbled. 

“Hey!” he yelled, banging on the wall. “What’s going on out there?”

The rumbling got louder and louder, until the entire roof of his cell collapsed. 

“Ahh!” Zuko cried out. He threw himself onto the floor and made himself as small as possible, hoping that nothing would fall on him. He hissed in pain when one of his legs got caught under a large rock. 

When the dust settled, he cautiously looked up. The entire building he had been in was collapsed, and pieces of rock and rubble were all around him.

He coughed and gasped in pain as he tried to pull his leg out from under the rock. 

“Hey!” he yelled. “Anyone there?” He could hear shouting not too far away. “Get me out of here!” 

Something in the sky caught the corner of his eye, and he looked up, his mouth dropping open. The avatar and his bison!

“Avatar!” he yelled angrily. “You lying, deceiving little- you said you’d take me to Omashu!” But of course, they couldn’t hear him. And he could only watch helplessly as the bison became smaller and smaller before disappearing, taking his chance of finding his uncle with it. 

The shouting grew louder, until Zuko finally caught sight of some of Fong’s soldiers. 

“Hey!” he yelled, and one of them finally saw him. The soldier’s eyes widened. 

“The prisoner, sir!” he said, calling out to another man who Zuko made out to be Fong himself. 

Fong glanced over at Zuko, and a smile crept onto his face. A menacing smile that sent chills down Zuko’s spine. 

“Ah, yes, the Prince of the Fire Nation. Now that the avatar isn’t here to protect you, what shall we do with you?” He appeared to ponder it for a moment, before gesturing towards the soldiers beside him. 

“Take him to the dungeons. And believe me, little prince. You’ll never see the light of day again.”

Zuko could only struggle and cry out as they pulled his leg free and dragged him towards a prison, a prison that he’d been fearing since he’d first gotten captured. 

Now that he didn’t have the avatar’s protection, these guards apparently had no qualms about hurting him. They didn’t care if his leg was injured and possibly broken, they forced him to walk on it anyways, sending jabs of pain through his entire body everytime Zuko took a step. And whenever he stopped walking, they shoved him or smacked him hard enough to send him sprawling. 

The deeper underground they went, the colder he got. By the time they made it to the dungeons, his leg was shaking so bad he felt like he would collapse any second. The world swam in front of his eyes, and he vaguely wondered if he was about to pass out. 

He was thrown into the cell, and he couldn’t hold himself up for even a moment before he collapsed, shivering. Get up! He screamed at himself. Don't show weakness in front of enemies! But his body didn’t listen to him, and he was left shaking with pain and exhaustion on the ground. 

The guards left, and he was alone again. He somehow managed to sit upright, though his leg screamed in protest when he moved it even the slightest bit. The handcuffs dug into his wrists, his leg was in agony, and his body ached from the rough handling of the guards. 

But he could handle pain. He’d been through worse before. And Uncle would figure out where he was. Right? 

He knew that was a false hope. He was supposed to be traveling with the avatar towards Omashu right now. No one would even know he was missing until they arrived there, which would probably be in at least a couple of weeks, judging by the knowledge he had of Earth Kingdom terrain. 

So he just had to suck it up for a couple of weeks until his uncle could be notified. He knew that there was no chance that he could escape by himself in the condition he was in right now. 

He sat there shivering for what felt like hours, his stomach gnawing at him with emptiness, until the door finally opened. General Fong stood there, holding what looked like a piece of paper in his hand. He looked furious. 

“Looks like you’re no use to us at all, Prince Zuko,” he sighed. “Or should I say, traitor to the Fire Nation?” 

Zuko stared at him blankly, uncomprehending. “I’m the prince!” he shouted, anger erupting through him. How dare this Earth Kingdom man pretend he knew Zuko? “I’m the son of Lady Ursa and Firelord Ozai! I’m not a traitor, I would never!” 

The general looked startled, and then a smile slowly spread across his face. “You don’t know,” he said slowly. Zuko glared at him. “Know what?” he demanded. 

The general dropped the paper he had in his hand on the ground next to Zuko, who picked it up. And stared at it numbly. 

It was a wanted poster. A picture of him and Uncle. “No,” he whispered. He threw the poster back at Fong. “You’re lying!” he yelled. “Father would never…” But deep down, he knew that he would. 

Kill without hesitation. Why would Father do that? It must be because Zuko had done something wrong, right? Just like when he’d been banished. He always managed to screw everything up. 

Fong just looked annoyed now. “Why would I lie about that?” he said. “I would have thought that having the son of the firelord as our prisoner would have been great incentive for him to cooperate with us, but apparently not. Apparently he doesn't care about anyone, even his own son.”

Zuko snarled. “Shut up! You don’t know what you’re saying! Father loves me!” Fong just laughed. 

“Fire Nation traitors cut off their hair, don’t they?” He motioned towards one of the guards beside him. “Cut it off.”

Zuko struggled, but couldn’t do anything as they chopped off his phoenix tail. He could only stare down at it numbly. 

“You may still be useful to us,” Fong said, stroking his beard. “Even if you can’t be used as ransom, you must have information about the Fire Nation army and tactics.” 

Zuko glared at him and set his jaw. “I’ll never tell you anything,” he hissed. Not that he knew much about recent Fire Nation army news. He hadn’t been in his home country for three years, after all. And he’d been only 13 when he’d left, too young to learn much about the army. He was pretty sure that everything he knew, these people already knew. 

Fong smiled, showing his teeth. “Willingly, maybe not. But you will soon enough.” He waved his hands at the two guards beside him. “Do what you will with him.” 

Zuko's eyes widened in fear as Fong exited the room and the two guards closed in on him. 

A couple of days later, Zuko sat shivering in his cell, his knees pulled up to his chest. He was so cold, and everything hurt so much. 

He reached a shaking hand up to his mouth to wipe away the blood that had begun to drip down his face from the many times he’d been hit. They came every day to hurt him, torture him and ask questions that he didn’t know the answers to. How was he supposed to know what their military’s best tactics were in the battlefield? And no matter how many times he told them that he didn’t know anything, they didn’t believe him. 

He flinched as the door opened again, wearily looking up at whoever entered. It was one of the guards. 

He managed a glare, though his insides twisted with fear. “I don’t know anything,” he spat, pressing himself to the wall on the far end of the cell. 

The man smirked and slowly entered the cell, closing the door gently behind him. Zuko watched him warily. 

The man took a step towards him, and Zuko flinched back. “I don’t care what you do or don’t know,” he purred, stumbling forward. Zuko scowled. He was obviously drunk. 

“Leave me alone then,” he snapped, turning his face away. He just wanted to be alone.

The man’s smile vanished, replaced by a predatory look that made Zuko shiver.

“Fong said we could do anything we want with you,” he sneered, moving closer until he was right in front of Zuko, standing above him. Zuko scowled up at him, trying to hide his fear. 

"What do you want?" he demanded, and despite his best efforts his voice still shook slightly. 

The man's eyes darkened, and suddenly he was on top of Zuko, pushing him to the ground. 

“Let me go!” Zuko yelled, breath hitching in panic as he struggled to free himself. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening. 

The man slapped him across the right side of his face, and Zuko’s head snapped to the side. Then he reached out and gently caressed his scar, so gently that it made Zuko want to throw up. He was at the mercy of another man, just like he had been at the agni kai. 

“What a shame,” he sighed. “You would’ve been so pretty if it wasn’t for this.”

“Stop,” Zuko wheezed, because the man’s grip around his throat was too tight and he couldn’t breath. 

The man ran his fingers over the light fuzz on Zuko’s head.

“You’ll do what I tell you, won’t you?” the man said, still caressing Zuko’s face. 

Zuko snarled and tried to bite at his fingers. “Never,” he growled. The man pulled his hand away, a disgusted look on his face. 

“You’re a prisoner here, prince. I can do whatever I want with you.” He smiled and leaned forward to catch Zuko’s lips on his own. Zuko recoiled back as far as he could, but the man’s grip on him tightened. He was too weak. Too weak to fight back. 

The man slowly slid Zuko’s pants off, and he still tried to fight back. He wasn’t resigned to what was going to happen yet. 

“Don’t touch me!” Zuko yelled. “I’ll tell Fong!” 

The man laughed. “Fong won’t care, little prince,” he said, a dark gleam in his eyes. 

Zuko didn’t remember much of it when it was over. He remembered the pain. He remembered his own voice, pleading and crying and doing all the things he’d vowed never to do again. He remembered the man’s grunts and moans, the dirty words he whispered in Zuko’s ear. 

He remembered the tears that poured down his cheeks involuntarily as the man had finished. 

“Aww, is the little prince crying?” the man teased, reaching out to wipe a single tear away, which was quickly replaced by others. 

Zuko curled up into a ball and said nothing.

The man left as quietly as he had come, and Zuko was left staring at the door from which he’d left, unable to feel anything other than numbness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for the people who left comments loll. I really hope you all are enjoying this story so far.

\--Iroh 

He pushed his ostrich horse forward, making his way to the path that would lead to Omashu. He’d gotten money from performing in a village, and had used some of it for supplies and the rest for the horse. He was so close, so close to seeing his beloved nephew again. He hoped that Zuko was alright, that his time in captivity hadn’t shaken him too much. But Iroh knew his nephew. He knew how strong and brave he was, how he would never give up no matter how much life pushed him down. He had no doubt that Zuko would push through this as well. 

It was morning when Iroh reached the outskirts of Omashu, and relief flooded through him. It was quickly replaced by horror when he caught sight of the Fire Nation flag that hung in front of the walls. Omashu had been conquered. 

Iroh closed his eyes in despair. Omashu had been one of the Earth Kingdom’s greatest strongholds. Now that it was gone, the only main Earth Kingdom city left was Ba Sing Se. 

Surely, once the Avatar had seen that Omashu had been conquered, they had gone elsewhere with Zuko. Maybe to another Earth Kingdom town to find an earthbending teacher. Or maybe even to Ba Sing Se. 

He caught a flash of white in the corner of his vision and looked up, gasping when he saw the Avatar’s bison, flying away from Omashu. That was where Zuko was. 

He mounted his ostrich horse once again and set off in the direction of the bison. 

\--Sokka 

Omashu was a bust. They went all the way there only to find out that the Fire Nation had already taken it, and that King Bumi couldn’t be Aang’s earthbending teacher. 

And then they’d been met by three girls, all three scary and powerful. One of them shot blue fire! Sokka had never seen anything like that before. And then there was knife girl, and another girl who could do something to people’s bending. She was the one who scared him the most. If she could incapacitate Katara, the strongest waterbender he knew, who knew what else she could do?

The blue fire girl looked strangely familiar, though. He voiced the thought to Aang and Katara, who both just shrugged. 

“Oh!” Sokka snapped his fingers. “She looks like Zuko!” The others fell silent at the mention of Zuko, and Sokka felt the slightest twinge of guilt which he tried to push away. Annoying firebender princes didn’t deserve his guilt! But even so, he was uncomfortable with the fact that they’d left a prisoner of war with a psychopathic general. Even if that prisoner was Zuko. 

He knew that Katara and Aang felt guilty too, though Aang was taking it the hardest. He’d tried to convince them to turn back when they’d first realized that they’d left Zuko, but Sokka and Katara had managed to talk him down. There was no way they’d have the time to return all the way back to General Fong’s base and then to Omashu. 

“You’re right,” Katara said after a moment. “She kinda looks like a female version of Zuko, if he didn’t have the scar. Maybe they’re related somehow?” 

Even thinking about the prospect of having another member of the Fire Nation royal family after them made Sokka shudder. “Let’s hope not.” 

Even though they didn’t see those three girls for a while after that, it still wasn’t very fun. The swamp had been terrible, and Sokka knew that he’d be tasting swamp water in his mouth for weeks to come. 

Of course, there had been some good things. A really good thing, actually. Toph was small in size but packed a great punch. Overall, the perfect addition to their little team. The only disadvantage was how often her and Katara clashed over the stupidest reasons. 

It only went downhill from there, when Toph woke them all up in the middle of the night, yelling that someone was following them. 

After hours of this, Sokka was so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open. Judging by everyone else’s expressions, they all felt the same way. And of course the people in the tank were the three scary girls from Omashu. Because that was just their luck. 

And then Toph and Katara got into another big argument that led to Toph storming off, despite Sokka’s attempt to stop her.

“I can’t believe I yelled at my earthbending teacher!” Aang moaned. 

Katara looked regretful too. “We’re all just getting used to each other. And I was so mean to her.”

Sokka had to agree with that. “Yeah, you two were pretty much jerks.” 

Katara and Aang both glared at him, and he shrugged. It’s not like he was wrong. 

And it turned out Toph was right. Appa’s fur was the thing that had led the girls to them. After they washed Appa and separated, he and Katara continued on while Aang took his glider and made his own fur path as a distraction. 

But somehow, knife girl and flexible girl found them. 

“How did they find us?” Katara yelled. Sokka shook his head, as much at a loss as she was. 

“Come on Appa, we need to go faster!” he urged. 

“He’s too tired!” 

They made it across the river, only to find out that the things the girls were riding could walk on water. Because of course they could. 

But Appa, good old Appa, threw them across the river and saved them. 

Sokka and Katara quickly got on Appa and flew back, following the fur trail that Aang had left. It led them to an abandoned village and a new fight. 

“Katara! Sokka!” Aang yelled when he saw them, a wide smile on his face. 

He was fighting blue fire girl, who was scarily good, the best firebending Sokka had ever seen. 

Suddenly, the ground beneath blue fire girl shifted, and she fell over. 

“I thought you guys could use a little help,” came Toph’s voice from the side. Sokka pumped his fists. This girl was screwed now!

The girl got to her feet and surveyed her opponents, before apparently realizing that she was outmatched. She ran through the alley, only to be stopped by… who was that? Sokka squinted, and his mouth dropped open. It was the old man who had been traveling with Zuko. What was he doing here?

But now wasn’t the time for conversations. The four of them and the old man surrounded blue fire girl, who only smiled and raised her hands. 

“You got me. A princess surrenders with honor.” 

Princess? So this girl was related to Zuko in some way. 

Before any of them could react, the girl smirked and pointed two fingers at the old man, who screamed as he collapsed to the ground. Sokka stared in horror before directing his glare towards the girl. Had she killed him?

As if they had all thought of it at the same time, Katara, Aang, and Toph all bended their elements towards the girl, and Sokka threw his boomerang. 

There was an explosion, and when they looked up, the girl was gone. Vanished without a trace.

“We have to help him!” Toph cried. “Katara! Heal him!” 

Katara hesitated for a moment, staring at the old man. 

“What are you doing?” Toph screamed. “Help him!”

Sokka frowned. Toph was acting like she...knew this man. But how could she? He was an enemy, a firebender who had helped Zuko. But seeing him on the ground like that, gravely injured, gave him a small pang. 

“Toph, this was the man who was traveling with Zuko,” Katara said softly, giving Sokka a helpless look. “He’s a firebender.”

Toph’s eyes widened for a moment before she stomped her foot. “I don’t care. We need to help him.”

Aang was looking down at the man worriedly. “Toph’s right. We can’t turn our back on anyone who needs us.” That seemed to have spurred Katara into action. 

She quickly kneeled beside the man and bent the water from her pouch, healing him. 

“He’s an enemy!” Sokka protested. but only half heartedly. He remembered how this man had helped them at the North Pole, but he also remembered the many times he’d failed to stop Zuko from attacking them. Maybe that was why he was here. Maybe he was looking for Zuko. 

They spent the night there, setting up camp and falling asleep instantly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is the moment you've all been waiting for: Zuko's pov. This chapter does get dark, at least in my opinion, so read cautiously. Hope you all like it and remember comments are always appreciated! I love hearing what you all think:)
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: aftermath of torture, implied rape, description of injuries, self harm(for a reason though) uhh I think that's all.

\--Zuko

He didn’t know how long he’d been here. The only indication of time passing at all was the slow growth of his hair, which was now more than just fuzz on top of his head. Still too short to be pulled into a topknot, but longer than it had been when he’d first been imprisoned.

But he knew for sure that it had been longer than two weeks. Which meant that Uncle wasn’t coming. That no one was coming. 

They had stopped questioning(torturing) him a little while ago, apparently finally realizing that he held nothing of value. They hadn’t crushed his hands, but they had broken his fingers, and then set them just to break them again.

They left him alone now, letting him wallow and go insane in isolation. He didn’t even know how often they fed him. Sometimes it felt like he’d gone days without food before it would finally show up in the slot, while other times it felt like he’d just eaten when he got more. Not like they gave him much to begin with. He was always hungry. 

They were trying to keep him disoriented, he knew. Keep him from knowing the time of day, or how long he’d been here. The worst part was, it was working. He couldn’t feel the sun. He had no idea when it was day or night, which unnerved him. As a firebender, he’d always had an internal sense of the sun, waking up at dawn automatically every morning. Now it was gone.

But that quietness was interrupted every so often, when the guard would come in and use him and hurt him until he was a wretch on the floor, shaking with tears in his eyes. 

Today was no different. The man quietly slipped his pants back on and exited the cell, and Zuko lay trembling on the ground. 

Slowly, he came back to himself, pulled himself together. He closed his eyes and shivered, his entire body sore and aching. It felt like the pain would never end. His ribs hurt, the bruises covering his skin hurt. It was so cold, he felt like he would never feel warm again. He was sure the only reason he wasn’t frozen to death was because he still had his breath of fire, however weak it was. But he could feel his inner fire fading away slowly, and he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to take much more of this. He slowly ran his fingers over his arm, where there were still healing cuts from when they had tortured him, cutting his skin open with knives.

He wished they’d just kill him.

Only then did he notice what was different. The door was unlocked. Zuko’s eyes widened, and he stared at the door in shock. The guard had always made sure to lock the door behind him after he finished, but today he’d been careless. 

For the first time since he’d been put in this place, Zuko felt hope. He could get out of here. 

But he was still chained. Gritting his teeth, he decided to do something he’d never wanted to do unless it was his last chance. And this was. 

He knew that no one would be around right now. He’d tested it out multiple times, yelling and pounding on the walls in his first few days here, just to annoy the guards. 

He closed his eyes and began heating up his hand. It was difficult, even though he’d been meditating with all the time he had in his cell. He’d gone too long without the sun. 

He gritted his teeth as the metal handcuffs began heating up too, the way he knew they were intended to. That was why he had never tried to do this before. But now he had a chance, a chance he’d never had before. He had to do this. He knew it was possible to burn through the handcuffs, if he could make his fire hot enough. If he could handle the pain.

So he took a deep breath and heated his hand up more, biting back a cry of pain as his wrist began burning. 

Tears involuntarily began trickling down his face as he concentrated as much as he could. It hurt so bad…but he could take it. It still wasn’t as bad as the burn on his face. Nothing would ever be as painful as that had been. 

He stopped when he was partway through, gasping for breath and shaking. His clothes were drenched in sweat from the effort and his hands trembled, but he couldn’t give up now. Not when he was so close. 

He screamed through clenched teeth, and he was so glad that none of the guards were around at this time. The scent of burning flesh filled his nostrils, and he squeezed his eyes shut to fight off the memories. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, the chains were off. He was free. He was free. 

He stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall as he tried to ground himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his legs trembling with pain and exhaustion. Don’t pass out, don’t pass out, he ordered himself. 

After the world stopped swimming in front of him, he staggered over to the door and slowly opened it, looking around even though he knew that no one would be there. The guards had underestimated him, like everyone always did. For once, it was in his advantage.

His cell was on top of a large chasm, and he could hear running water coming from somewhere. Zuko peered down, catching a glimpse of water below in the chasm. 

If there was running water, there had to be a way out from there. Zuko had never really been one to think before he acted. 

He jumped into the chasm, closing his eyes as he made impact with freezing cold water, so cold it knocked the breath out of him. Immediately, panic began to bubble up in him as he flashed back to the North Pole, when he was trapped underwater and was sure he was going to drown. And only a few days ago, when the guards had forced his head into a bucket of water and kept it there even as he struggled and he couldn’t breath…

No. He couldn’t allow stupid fears to make him weak. He had to get over them so he could escape. 

He took a deep breath and started swimming. His heart sank when he saw that the current only led the water deeper down, down somewhere he didn’t want to go. He had to swim against the current. 

Luckily, the current wasn’t too strong, and he could swim through it without much effort. But he was weak from his time in imprisonment, and his arms shook with exhaustion. 

But he managed to continue on, motivated by the fact that escape was so close. Just a little longer, he told himself. You’re almost there. 

Just when he had begun to give up hope, to resign himself to his death, he caught sight of something bright up ahead. Sunlight.

Light. Warmth. The green trees, the gray rocks, the blue sky. He was free. He hoisted himself up onto the riverbank with rubbery arms which soon gave out. He collapsed onto the ground on his back, staring up at the beautiful sky, letting the sun warm the coldness in him.

An incredulous giggle escaped his mouth, and soon he was shaking with hysterical laughter, because he was free. Against all the odds, after everything that he’d been through, he’d managed to escape. He didn’t even notice the tears that trickled down his cheeks until one dripped onto his arm. He stared at it with a mild shock, because why was he crying? He should be happy. He was free. 

He closed his eyes and just lay there, feeling the warmth on his face. He had never appreciated the sun more than he did right now.

After his initial giddiness, however, he realized that he was still in plain sight of anyone who walked by. What if Fong and his soldiers had already realized that he was missing? 

His entire body ached, shaking with fatigue, but with a bit of struggling, he managed to get to his feet. He didn’t think he’d ever been so exhausted in his life. 

He stumbled forward, trying to ignore the ache in his body and the pain in his wrists, and scanned his surroundings. He was right beside the river, and when he peered back the way he’d come, he saw it flowing down. It was an underground river, which had happened to pass by where his cell had been. 

He saw the wall that surrounded Fong’s base too, a little less than a mile from where he was. He must have swam that distance away from it. 

But besides that, he didn’t see any other kind of civilization. From what he remembered of Earth Kingdom geography, General Fong’s base was the farthest to the west of the Earth Kingdom. It made sense that there were no villages surrounding it. 

That meant he had to travel east to get to the nearest village. But he was so tired he wasn’t sure he’d be able to walk much before his legs gave out. 

But he knew he had to keep moving. Zuko was impulsive, but he wasn’t dumb. He knew that the moment Fong or any of his men found him, they’d bring him back to the prison. He shivered at that thought. Or maybe they’d decide that he was causing more trouble than he was worth and just kill him on the spot. Either option was not appealing to him. 

He glanced up at the sun and quickly determined which way east was, in the direction away from the river. He shut his eyes, steeling himself, before he started walking.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW over 3000 hits???? I really didn't expect so much love for this pic thank you all so much!! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

\--Sokka

“Morning, Sokka!” Sokka blearily opened his eyes and glared at Aang’s cheerful face. How could he be so happy so early in the morning?

Katara was up too, making breakfast. “Finally you’re awake, sleepyhead,” she teased when she taught sight of Sokka. 

“Are we finally leaving?” Sokka mumbled, still half asleep. Aang’s smile disappeared. “We can’t. He’s still not awake.”

The old man still hadn’t woken up. It had been a full day since the princess girl had hit him, and he still wasn’t awake. 

And Aang, being Aang, refused to leave without making sure he was alright. Toph had quickly agreed, which only deepened Sokka’s suspicion that she knew him somehow. 

Sokka groaned and sat up in his sleeping bag, peering over at the tent where he knew the man was laying. They’d agreed to make sure that one of them was watching him at all times, and since Toph was nowhere to be seen, he assumed it was her turn. 

“Toph said that she can start teaching me earthbending today!” Aang said, his happy smile back on his face. 

“That’s great, Aang!” Katara smiled, handing him a bowl. She turned around and handed one to Sokka too, who accepted it grudgingly. “I still say we should leave,” he grumbled. “You healed him, and he’s a really good firebender. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Katara gave him an annoyed look. “We’re not leaving him,” she said firmly. “Don’t you remember how he helped us at the North Pole? We owe him at least this.” 

Sokka took a bite of his food, rolling his eyes. Just yesterday, Katara had been on his side about this. Now, she seemed to have changed her mind. He suspected he knew exactly why as he watched her smile at Aang.

But she was also right. This man had helped them, and he had never tried to hurt them before, even when Zuko had been chasing them. He’d kinda just been on the sidelines, watching. 

He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by Toph’s shout. “Guys, he’s awake!” 

Aang set down his bowl and rushed to the tent, Katara at his heels. Sokka hesitated before sighing and following after them. 

The old man was sitting up, a grimace of pain on his face. “Are you feeling ok?” Katara asked urgently. The man smiled despite his obvious pain and raised a hand. “You have done more than enough to help me. Thank you.” 

“No, thank you,” Aang spoke up. Sokka fought the urge to slap a hand against his forehead. “You helped us in the North Pole and against the girl yesterday, even though you were traveling with Zuko.” 

The man grimaced again. “Yes, my niece is not the kindest person.”

Sokka perked up at that. “Your niece?” he asked. The man turned to him with a sad smile. “Yes, my niece Princess Azula,” he said. “Sister to my nephew, Prince Zuko.” 

Toph frowned. “Hold up. So the ponytail freak who chased my friends around the world is your nephew?”

The man smiled a little. “Yes, Prince Zuko is my nephew.” He looked around the room, his smile slowly fading. “Where is he? I had assumed that he would be with you.”

Nothing but silence met his question, and Sokka felt that twinge of guilt again. “He’s not with us,” he said quietly. “We left him at General Fong’s base.”

The man’s eyes widened, and he seemed to struggle to say something. “I see,” he said finally, his voice quivering only the tiniest bit. “May I ask why?” 

“I’m sorry!” Aang cried. “It was my fault. General Fong wanted me to go into the avatar state, and I said no, and then he started attacking me and Katara. We stopped him, but we had to leave for Omashu right away. It was only after that we realized we left Zuko!” 

The man sighed heavily. “I understand. It is of no fault of yours.” He closed his eyes. “General Fong, you say?” Aang nodded, watching him anxiously. “He has a reputation preceding him, which I am sure you know.” Sokka shifted uncomfortably, hating the guilt he felt.

Katara looked stricken. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “We shouldn’t have left him there.” 

The old man shook his head. “No need to apologize,” he said, though there was unbearable worry and sadness in his eyes. 

Sokka sighed. “I’m sure he’s fine,” he said. “As much as I hate to admit it, Zuko’s tough. I think he’ll survive.”

The old man looked over at him with a sad smile. “I hope you are right,” he said. And a small part of Sokka hoped that too. Even though Zuko was an enemy and really annoying, Sokka didn’t want to see him dead. Especially if it was partly their fault. 

After a bit of discussion, it was decided that they’d travel with the man until he could meet up with an old friend at a place called the Misty Palms Oasis. Apparently that friend would be able to help him find a way to get back to Zuko.

“Hey, what’s your name anyways?” Toph asked. “You never told us.”

The old man smiled. “You can call me Iroh.” The name didn’t sound familiar to Sokka, but Toph spit out her drink. “Iroh?” she sputtered. “Like the Firelord’s brother Iroh? The Dragon of the West?” 

Sokka stared at the man in horror. The Firelord’s brother? He knew that this man was Zuko’s uncle, but he’d assumed it was from his mother’s side, not his father’s! And he’d almost begun to trust him!

“What?” Katara demanded, apparently just as furious as Sokka. “You’re the Firelord’s brother?”

Iroh nodded sadly. “I know that you have reason not to trust me,” he began, and Sokka glared at him. 

“Yeah, we have reason!” he yelled. “You’re the brother of the most evil man in the world!” 

Aang had been strangely quiet till then, but he finally spoke up. “Let him finish, Sokka,” he said, looking at the man. 

Iroh nodded at him gratefully. “Thank you. Yes, Firelord Ozai is my brother, but I had renounced his ideals a long time ago, since my failed attempt at capturing Ba Sing Se. Since...since the death of my son.” His voice got heavier. 

Sokka couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the old man, looking at how sad he looked. But still…

“So that’s why you never stopped Zuko from trying to capture Aang. You’ve been on his side all along!” Sokka accused. 

Iroh hung his head. “My nephew...is a troubled young man,” he said, sighing. “He has been through much. I never approved of his search for the Avatar, yet I could not do anything to stop him. Nothing can stop Zuko when he is determined.” 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Sokka muttered, and Iroh smiled slightly. 

“I promise you I will bring no harm to you. The only goal I have in mind is finding my nephew. I plead you to permit me to accompany you, only until I reach the Misty Palms Oasis. But I will understand if you want to refuse me,” Iroh said. 

Sokka looked at his friends. Toph looked like she was on the verge of agreeing, and so was Aang. Ok, that was it. 

“Guys. Outside,” Sokka said firmly, grabbing Aang and Toph’s arms. 

“He’s the Firelord’s brother,” Sokka argued. 

“He said he renounced those values!” Toph argued back. “We should help him.”

“Yeah,” Aang agreed. “It’s our fault Zuko’s not here right now. The least we could do is help Iroh get back to him.” 

“Katara!” Sokka pleaded, turning to his sister. “Tell them!”

Katara looked hesitant, but then sighed. “Aang and Toph are right. We should help him.” Sokka threw his hands up, groaning. Of course.

They set off towards the Oasis, until Aang saw an area that looked good for earthbending and stopped them there for camp. 

That day didn’t end too well either. Sokka ended up trapped in a hole for hours, alone until Aang had found him, fought off a large moose-lion, and finally learned how to earthbend. 

A few days later, they were at the Oasis, which looked nothing like the description on the map. 

“Must have changed ownership since I was last here,” Aang said sheepishly, shrugging. 

Sokka sighed and pointed at one of the small taverns. “Maybe they have food or something in there,” he said, eyes brightening at the thought. At least that would make this whole stupid trip worth it. 

But Iroh’s gaze was on another one of the buildings. “You all go in,” he said. “I will find you later.” 

“Bye!” Toph said, and entered the tavern in front of them. Sokka followed her, and wrinkled in his nose in disgust. It was a small run down tavern filled with weary travelers. 

“One mango, please,” they heard a man say, and Sokka’s mouth dropped open as the bartender used two swords to cut the mango and make a drink. 

“Let’s get those!” Sokka said eagerly. 

Aang bumped into the guy with the drink, and that set off a whole other conversation. 

Sokka leaned forward eagerly when the professor began talking about the library in the middle of the desert, the one that had all the information they would need about the Fire Nation. 

And so they decided to go there. “Let’s go get Iroh,” Aang reminded them. 

Iroh was sitting in the tavern when they entered. “Where’s your friend?” Sokka asked. Iroh smiled secretively, looking the most cheerful Sokka had seen him since he’d first found out about Zuko. “My meeting went well,” he said. “I have found out crucial information about my nephew. It seems he has managed to escape from General Fong’s base.”

Sokka stared. “Zuko escaped?” Katara asked, shocked. Of course he had. Sokka had learned a long time ago to not underestimate Zuko. He couldn’t help but be secretly impressed by the guy. 

Iroh inclined his head. “Yes. I have procured passports to Ba Sing Se for the two of us. Will you be joining us there?” 

They all exchanged a glance. “Actually, not right now,” Aang said. “We’re going-”

“-to get more supplies!” Sokka finished quickly. Even though this guy was nice, he was still from the Fire Nation. A part of the Fire Nation’s royal family. 

Toph frowned, but Sokka ignored her. If Iroh knew they were lying, he didn’t show it. He just nodded. “I suppose this is where we part ways. Thank you for allowing me to travel with you.” 

“Bye, Iroh,” Aang said with a smile. Toph grinned at the old man and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “Find your nephew and then find us, ok?” Iroh smiled. 

“I hope we’ll meet again,” Katara said genuinely, because they’d all grown close to the wise, kind old man over the weeks they’d been traveling together. Even Sokka had to admit he’d miss him. 

“Yeah, yeah, goodbyes,” Sokka muttered, and Iroh chuckled. “Did I ever tell you that you remind me of my nephew sometimes?” he said. 

Sokka snorted. “I remind you of Zuko? No thanks.” 

Iroh just laughed again, and then they were on their way to the library, away from Iroh for now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HII EVERYONE THANK YOU ALL FOR READING MY STORY! I'm so glad you all seem to like it!!! This chapter took some time to write loll but I hope you like it!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: idk if it's a trigger but there's starvation and thoughts of death

\--Iroh

He watched as the group of children flew away on their bison, chuckling softly to himself. They were all so kind, so brave, yet also so young. 

But now, he had to focus his efforts on finding one particular boy. 

He had found out from another White Lotus member, Fung, that General Fong had sent out word that Prince Zuko had escaped his custody only a few days ago, and to apprehend him at all costs. He dearly hoped that Zuko was being careful. He knew that it was in his nephew’s nature to make impulsive decisions and to act before thinking.

He’d gotten a passport to Ba Sing Se for himself, and then left the one for Zuko with Fung. After a lengthy discussion about what to do next, it had been decided that Iroh would continue on his way to Ba Sing Se on his own, and that Fung would give word to the other White Lotus members to look for Zuko. If any of them found him, they would tell him to go to the Misty Palms Oasis to get a passport to Ba Sing Se, where he would reunite with Iroh.

At first, Iroh had refused, insisting that he should go back and find Zuko himself. Iroh knew better than anyone how brave and resilient his nephew was, that he could survive on his own. But no matter how capable he was, he was still so young. And he had just escaped captivity. He would have no food, no money, no idea where to go. And he was all alone. And Iroh knew of General Fong’s reputation. He was a cruel man, cruel even to allies. It broke Iroh’s heart to think of Zuko in his custody. 

The only reason he’d been convinced was because he knew that Aang and his friends were planning on going to Ba Sing Se soon. He knew that they would most likely require his help there as well.  As much as it pained him to be walking the opposite direction of his nephew( _ again _ , his mind told him guiltily), he knew Zuko would survive this. He had made Fung promise to send him a messenger hawk the moment Zuko had been found. 

He traveled in the direction of Full Moon Bay, sending a prayer up to the spirits that the boy he called a second son would be safe. 

\--Zuko

He’d been walking for hours, using what little strength he had left, and there was still nothing but barren land around him. 

When night fell, his sleep was uneasy and restless. He knew he had to keep moving, had to go on so that Fong wouldn’t find him again. So despite how exhausted he was, he slept fitfully, paranoid that they’d find him while he was asleep. 

He woke up at dawn and forced himself to continue on. 

Every step was a struggle. The only reason he was still moving was pure desperation, the knowledge that if he didn’t keep going, he’d be captured again. And his wrists still burned. He’d taken one look at them and winced, knowing that they would scar. More burn scars to add to his collection. 

Infection wasn’t something he had the luxury to worry about now. He’d just have to hope that the burns didn’t get infected, like the one on his face had. He’d been bedridden with a terrible fever for days, and Uncle had told him after that he’d been afraid for Zuko’s life. 

He shivered and pushed away the memories. He couldn’t afford to get distracted. He had to make it to a village, hopefully find some food, and then…what? He had no idea where Uncle was. He had no idea where  _ he  _ was, except for a vague idea of being somewhere in the west. 

Food. That was his first priority right now. Figuring out what to do next was later. 

He walked for as long as could, despite his empty stomach and aching body and burning wrists. He walked until his vision began to swim in front of his eyes, struggling to stay conscious. 

He stumbled forward, forcing himself to continue onward. He wouldn’t die here, not now. Not after everything he’d been through. He wasn’t going to give up. 

He walked on slowly, letting his thoughts wander...until they began to wander into dark territory, things he wasn’t ready to think about without shaking like a leaf and struggling to breath. He firmly directed his thoughts towards the terrain ahead of him, the villages that would hopefully appear soon. 

His exhaustion grew, his headache became worse, and his stomach hurt so bad he had to clutch it with one hand as he walked. 

The day passed, with still no sign of any civilization. His throat was so parched he couldn’t even wet his cracked lips. The last time he’d drank water had been at the river, and the last time he’d had food had been sometime in the prison. He knew he wouldn’t be able to go on for much longer. 

When it began to rain, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned his face up, allowing the water to moisten his dry mouth. At least he had water. It helped clear his head a little and gave him more strength.

But when night fell and it was still raining, he struggled to continue on. The rain was so cold and he was soaking wet, shivering uncontrollably. It felt like the temperature had switched from burning hot to freezing cold in only a few hours, and the rain was only making it worse. 

_ Remember your breath of fire. It could save your life out there.  _

He raised his cold, shaking hands up to his mouth to warm them up, but he was so tired that all he could muster were a few sparks. 

He’d been walking for hours, with no end in sight, and he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. He’d been tired before. He’d been hungry before. He also had experience with freezing cold weather, from the North Pole. He knew how they felt, and he knew how to deal with them. But this kind of exhaustion, this all consuming, bone weary exhaustion, was something he’d never felt before. This gnawing emptiness in his stomach, like a hollow void, was something he’d never felt before. And the pain, from the countless bruises and cuts on his body. He’d been trying his best to ignore it, but it wasn’t going away. It seemed to be getting worse with every step he took, a horrible ache that wasn’t subsiding. His hands and feet had long gone numb with cold, and he knew that wasn’t a good sign. 

There was still nothing but empty land in sight.

Was this how he was going to die? After everything, after all the pain and struggle, he was going to die of starvation and exhaustion in some unknown part of the Earth Kingdom. What had he done to deserve this? Why did the sprits seem to hate him so much?

Through his blurred vision, he caught sight of lightning flashing a short distance from where he was. Thunder boomed.  He could only stagger a few more steps before his legs gave out and he fell to his knees, shivering with cold and exhaustion. It wasn’t fair. A wave of anger and despair rushed through him, and he glared up at the sky. 

“You’ve always thrown everything you could at me!” he shouted. “You’ve never shown me any mercy!” The sky didn’t say anything back, of course, but that only made him angrier. Why was it always him? Why was he the one made to suffer?

“Come on, strike me!” he yelled. “Finish it! You’ve never held back before!” 

The storm raged on, and tears began streaming from his eyes, mingling with the rain hitting his face. He was going to die here. He was going to die all alone, and no one would know. 

He tilted his head up, uncaring of the rain pelting his face, and screamed. He screamed in rage about the unfairness, the cruelty. He screamed until his voice gave out, until the world tilted and he fell over, unable to hold himself up anymore. He vaguely wondered how Uncle would react when he died. Would he be sad? Probably. Uncle had always seemed to care about him, though he didn’t know why. 

He could only lay there shivering in misery, too tired to move, closing his eyes to finally allow the darkness to take him. 

  
  


  
  



End file.
